Baltic Sea Ecoregion - Fisheries overview

The commercial fisheries in the Baltic Sea target only a few stocks. The pelagic fisheries, which account for the largest catches (by weight) in the region, are the mid-water trawl fisheries for sprat and herring. The most important demersal fisheries are the bottom-trawl fisheries for cod and flatfish. The demersal fisheries are concentrated in the south and west of the Baltic Sea, while the pelagic fisheries are more widespread. Basin-wide, commercial fishing effort has declined in recent years. Recreational fisheries in the Baltic catch a diversity of species, with cod and salmon accounting for the largest number of landings. Most of the Baltic Sea fish stocks with reference points are fished at or below F_MSY. Multispecies analysis indicates that there is a trade-off between fishing cod or herring and sprat in the central Baltic Sea. Patterns of seabed habitat disturbance reflect the distribution of bottom-trawl fishing effort. A large and, for some species, probably unsustainable bycatch of seabirds (greater scaup, common guillemot, and long-tailed duck) occurs at times in the gillnet fisheries; these fisheries also catch individuals of the critically endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise.